China reports one more H7N9 bird flu death

by
Reuters

Friday, 10 January 2014 12:39 GMT

Health officials in protective suits transport sacks of poultry as part of preventive measures against the H7N9 bird flu at a poultry market in Zhuji, Zhejiang province January 6, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer

BEIJING, Jan 10 (Reuters) - China reported one more death from the H7N9 strain of bird flu in eastern Fujian province, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday.

A 38-year-old man from Quanzhou city died after being found infected earlier on Friday, Xinhua said, citing the province's health and family planning commission.

Xinhua said this was the first human case of H7N9 in Fujian this year.

Separately, Xinhua said two people were infected with H7N9 in eastern Zhejiang province -- a 79-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday that seven more people in China have been found to be infected with the H7N9 strain of bird flu in the past week, taking to around 150 the total number of cases so far.

The H7N9 bird flu emerged last year in China and has infected around 150 people there and in Taiwan and Hong Kong, killing at least 45 of them.

Experts say there is no evidence as yet of any easy or sustained person-to person transmission of the strain.

But an early scientific analysis of probable transmission of the new flu from person to person, published last August, gave the strongest proof yet that it can at times jump between people and so could cause a human pandemic.

The WHO said the source of the human infections was still being investigated. It stressed it does not advise any special screening for people going in and out of China, nor does it recommend any travel or trade curbs. (Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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